Yellowstone was George Lucas' Inspiration for Star Wars

I have no clue if that title is true, but what I know is that I feel like I just saw a series of different planets during the past three days at Yellowstone. Geysers that spout, springs that boil, canons red and white, travertine terraces, pines burnt to keep them alive, and water that shoots out of what appears to be dead land- where am I? 

We arrived mid-day and the drive in was absolutely spectacular. After checking in we set up camp in Bridge Bay, which had an incredible view of Yellowstone Lake. Unfortunately we had been placed in a spot between two RVs, which were a bit noisy; and the close proximity kept us from feeling like we were in the middle of a volcanic forest by the lake. On the good side, we barely spent any time there. As soon as we were set up, we headed to Old Faithful. 

It was quite the sight just to walk up to it. There were hundreds of people sitting in silence, watching and waiting. The geyser, smoking and shooting up little spouts of water every few minutes. The natural beauty of this space literally mesmerized hundreds of people with anticipation of it coming to life before their eyes. Sadly, Barley, who turned 11 months that day, did not have the same sense of awe to sit there with us and wait; we headed back to camp to build a fire and have a drink or two. 

Camping was harder than all of the other nights that night. Barley had a difficult time not reacting to all of the noises, and the cold felt unbearable to sleep through for us Floridians (don't tell Joe I called him that ;). We got up around 5:30 a.m.  and  made omelettes with broccoli and cheese, and coffee to warm us. We then headed out for a hike around the lake. 

The lake is like nothing I have ever seen, pristine, and surrounded by mountains. This morning's walk was much cooler than the previous ones. Barley loved making his way down the trail. On the way back it began to rain, so we decided to run and try to beat the rain. Barley got so excited he pulled off the leash. While normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, in Yellowstone there are signs posted everywhere to keep your pets close. On this hike alone we passed animal poo that must have been 10x's Barley's poo size. We both knew how important it was to get him back at our side, yet alone to get out of the rain because our camp had no showers and 'muddy' wasn't the look we were going for today. Instead Barley had other plans. He ran huge loops around us faster than he's ever run. He then decided to run into the lake! Despite our multiple attempts to catch him, call him, trick him with offers of bacon and peanut butter, he just kept running. We remembered what his trainer taught us: run away from him to catch him. So we did. We ran away and he came right behind us, close enough so that Joe could catch his leash. Phew! Of course, we then had to walk by this little Japanese family who had been watching the whole scene. All I could say was, "he's a bad dog". 

Although, it felt so untrue. In my heart it felt like he is a wild little soul who doesn't belong on a leash. Later that day we passed a 2000 pound bison, and I had a change of heart. Our 58 pound Goldendoodle does belong right by our side until we can get him to a doggie park :). 

The next days were filled with beautiful drives, hikes to waterfalls, and nights too cold to sleep. I'm tired, but so inspired. This place is filled with God's creativity. It's so clear here that the earth is alive. It feels a little bittersweet leaving today. I'm grateful for this trip and the beauty of this place will never leave my mind. If it does, I'll just watch Star Wars.

*Idaho offers me little to no signal, so I'll have to post photos from Seattle- check back soon for some gorgeous shots of Yellowstone (including elk and bison photos too!)